Social Media Sites Can be Valuable Real Estate for Realtors – But Do Your Homework First!

The process of buying and selling homes has changed drastically over the last few years. With the increase of social media and online marketing, current listings are just a click away for nearly every homebuyer.. A recent study by the National Association of Realtors showed that more than 90% of homebuyers searched online during the process of finding their next home.

Did you know…

Ninety percent of home buyers searched online during their home buying process, and Real estate related searches on Google grew 253% over the past four years?
Many businesses are using social media to increase revenue, gain new customers and increase traffic to their websites. Realtors should absolutely be on social media if they have the time and the knowledge.

In order to see a return on investment, however, you must have a plan and a way to measure your results. Social Media takes time, consistency and patience. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before jumping into the social media space:

As a Real Estate Agent, What do I Hope to Gain from Social Media?

Are you looking to increase sales? Drive people to your website? Attract 3 new clients per quarter? Increase online community? Decide what you hope to gain from social media and set some goals. Write down your goals and put timelines with them. From here you can come up with a strategy as to how you are going to accomplish your goals.
There is so much to consider when thinking about creating an online presence through social media. Talk to other professionals who are already using social media. Ask questions! Make sure you are ready to commit fully. Don’t be that business that starts a Facebook business page and then just leaves it sitting there gathering dust.

Do I Have the Time?

In order to be successful on social media you need to be posting, engaging and creating content that inspires your clients. Do you have at least 30 minutes a day to check in with your audience, upload a picture, tell them what you are doing today and share with them an interesting fact or tip related to real estate? Part of being on a social media site is being social. It takes time to cultivate relationships and make connections.

Which Platforms Will I Use?

You need to find out where your clients are spending their time. Are they on Trulia? Facebook? Perhaps asking them via e-mail or a survey would help you narrow down your top 2 or 3 social media platforms. You also want to find the platforms that you are comfortable with and like. There are so many social media platforms out there that it can become very overwhelming. Choose 1 or 2 that you are comfortable with and think you can have fun with. Remember, you are going to be on this site everyday. You want to like it and enjoy what you are doing.

Will I Outsource, Do it Myself, or Try a Combination?

If you know that you want your business to start networking on social media but you also know that you don’t have the time or knowledge than you may want to outsource your social media to a professional social media marketer. Make sure you choose this person wisely. This person will be representing you online and may be the only voice your customers hear or “see”.

This can be a really great option for some people and will give you the time to run your business. However, there is no substitute for you. You may have a social media manager but make sure you are checking in every now and then and engaging with your clients. They want to hear from you!
Another option is to enlist the aid of a professional to set up optimized profiles for you and even post for you for a month or so, giving you a “blueprint” to follow. You can also ask for continuous mentoring and reporting to help you improve in your social media skills as you maintain your accounts yourself.

Social media isn’t going anywhere so if now is not the time for you to get involved start thinking about when a good time might be. Social media is a great way to connect with your clients and to increase community. It can also be a lot of fun!

If you are a real estate professional using social media what are your biggest challenges? Which platforms are you on? I would love to hear from you!

Heather Myklegard’s company, HM Social Media Solutions, helps non-profits and small businesses develop and execute social campaigns to communicate more often with their current customers, as well as develop new relationships. Through increased communication and conversation these companies have embraced the return on investment that social business offers, better relationships translating to better business. When she is not online, Heather is a wife and mother to two wonderful boys. Her family loves camping, paddle boarding, hiking and biking. She is also an avid runner and loves boot camp, yoga and reading when time permits.